save money w/ Google Voice

[xxacexx2]

So here's what Im trying to do. Im trying to see just how much money can be saved with Google Voice.

Currently on verizon, my g/f and I are on the 1400 min talk and text family plan. We are both paying somewhere around 100 a month due to the data plan and unlimited txt

So here's what I plan to do (BUT I have questions before I do it)

1. Cancel unlimited texting. Only use google voice for texting
2. Dropping from the 1400 plan to like the 700 min plan.
-If it works as planned, we should each only pay about 65 a month

so here are my questions.

1. I think I understand texting. As long as I text from the google voice app, and as long as people are texting to my google voice number, I should not have to worry, right?

2. For calling I am a bit more confused. Since we will be dropping to the 700 plan, I will no longer have the family and friends thing. Meaning I cannot use the google voice number on my family and friend list. SO does this mean I will only save minutes by incoming calls and not outgoing calls?

 

[pinesal]

So here's what Im trying to do. Im trying to see just how much money can be saved with Google Voice.

Currently on verizon, my g/f and I are on the 1400 min talk and text family plan. We are both paying somewhere around 100 a month due to the data plan and unlimited txt

So here's what I plan to do (BUT I have questions before I do it)

1. Cancel unlimited texting. Only use google voice for texting
2. Dropping from the 1400 plan to like the 700 min plan.
-If it works as planned, we should each only pay about 65 a month

so here are my questions.

1. I think I understand texting. As long as I text from the google voice app, and as long as people are texting to my google voice number, I should not have to worry, right?

2. For calling I am a bit more confused. Since we will be dropping to the 700 plan, I will no longer have the family and friends thing. Meaning I cannot use the google voice number on my family and friend list. SO does this mean I will only save minutes by incoming calls and not outgoing calls?

You wont save any minutes unless you use the friends and family trick.

Also keep in mind that you will occasionally have to send a regular SMS or mms because right now Google voice doesn't send or receive picture texts.

 

[nerdkill]

you need family and friends to save money using your google voice for calling. google voice still uses your minutes, it's just a call forwarding service.

for your texting you can save money that way. the only problem that you're going to run into is getting people to stop texting your number. if you drop your plan and people keep texting you it's going to cost a lot more then you're saving. also, no mms. and you won't get a message saying someone tried to send you a mms, it's like it never happened.

 

[xxacexx2]

Next question

So, Im going to add the number for outgoing calls to my friends and family list.

Ive heard talk about there being a number for incoming calls.
Im sure this is uncharted territory, but anyone know anything about this? Is there a number GV uses for incoming calls?

Or is it only possible to save minutes on outgoing calls using GV?

 

[Bdog]

If you drop your texting plan, be sure you block all texts, so you won't get charged by people still texting your VZW number.

As for the calling, I'm still trying to figure the whole thing out as well. The outgoing ordeal has been figured out, it's now just incoming I'm trying to learn. A lot has been answered on page 6 of this thread right here.

 

[parkbsu]

Something else I have found is that the GV SMS doesn't allow you to do short codes, so if you try to sign up for services using short codes, it won't work. On the off-chance you are a college student, some text providers that campuses employ for emergency text alerts won't work either. They require a carrier code, and since GV isn't considered a carrier, the texts won't go through. I've slimmed my plan down from unlimited to the 500 a month...saved $5 at least...

 

[takeshi]

I think I understand texting. As long as I text from the google voice app, and as long as people are texting to my google voice number, I should not have to worry, right?

You also need to make sure that SMS voicemail notifications and SMS forwarding are disabled.

For calling I am a bit more confused. Since we will be dropping to the 700 plan, I will no longer have the family and friends thing. Meaning I cannot use the google voice number on my family and friend list. SO does this mean I will only save minutes by incoming calls and not outgoing calls?

You won't save anything. Without F&F all calls count against your minutes.

Also keep in mind that you will occasionally have to send a regular SMS or mms because right now Google voice doesn't send or receive picture texts.

MMS only. SMS is just text so it's not germane to picture texts.

Ive heard talk about there being a number for incoming calls.
Im sure this is uncharted territory, but anyone know anything about this? Is there a number GV uses for incoming calls?

Only if you set GV caller ID to display your GV number for all inbound calls. There's an obvious downside to that. I don't bother with it for that reason.

This is pretty well covered in most of the existing GV threads (as well as guides elsewhere on the net). Don't forget the search feature.

 

[GrillMouster]

For all the reasons already mentioned above I don't bother using GV for voice or texts. When I first got GV I have my GV number to one or two businesses, but those were one-off transactions.

I only use GV for voicemail, only because I think it's cool to have personalized greetings for friends & family. Sometimes GV's VM transcription is barely good enough to get a basic gist of the message, but usuallly it's worthless. I do like being able to listen to the greeting as an audio clip. I guess that feature saves me one minute or two per message on my plan, but since I'm never close to reaching my plan's minute limit, this saving isn't a big deal.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I use google voice for free international sms and really cheap quick international calls. I also give out my google voice number to businesses/friends/when I have to put down a phone number - because I can block an unlimited amount of numbers.

 

[Bdog]

It still does free international SMS? GV FAQ said they finally blocked that

 

[erikfig]

Pinesal, What id the Friends ans family tick???????????

 

[uflraptor]

Yes, what is this "trick"?